Materials
OUR THOUGHTS ON MATERIALS
We are passionate about solid craftsmanship and small-scale production, with a focus on carefully selected materials where quality takes priority over cost. As a result, we are constantly finding ways to integrate environmentally-friendly materials into both new and existing products. This means that we use materials with a long lifespan, with respect to the extreme conditions and usage they must endure.
The pillars of our production are that our products should work well and have as long a lifespan as possible. Choosing the right materials is one of the keys to this. Even when the time comes for a Primus stove to be retired, we want the materials to be able to live on. This is why we design products from pure materials that can be disassembled and recycled.
OUR MATERIALS
STAINLESS STEEL
Steel is mostly iron that is fused with carbon and other substances. Stainless steel usually has a high proportion of chromium and nickel to prevent the material from oxidising and decomposing in contact with water and oxygen. The advantage of steel is that it is an extremely durable material that can withstand high temperatures at a relatively low price. Perfect for pots, saucepans, bowls and plates for outdoor use. Stainless steel usually does not react with other substances and has a high resistance to rust. It is therefore easy to keep clean and does not give off any flavors. These are features that make stainless products lifelong companions that are also 100% recyclable.
Today, around 90% of the material is recycled globally. On average, a product containing stainless steel has 60% recycled material. If steel is recycled, it requires approximately 75% less energy than new production.
ALUMINIUM
Aluminium is a very strong material in relation to its weight. (Its density is one-third that of steel.) Qualities that make aluminium excellent for products such as hiking or climbing where you want to travel as light as possible. Aluminium conducts heat very well, which is an advantage in pots and heat exchangers. Bear in mind that the melting point is relatively low, which means the material will melt if you place a saucepan without any contents (water or food) on the flame.
Aluminium itself is not the most durable material as it can scratch and dent easily, but in contact with air, aluminium creates a layer of aluminium oxide that is hard and durable. This layer can be made even thicker by artificial means, so-called anodising. A thin layer is called natural anodised and a thicker layer hard anodised and becomes much more durable than pure aluminium.
Aluminium is one of the most common elements, but requires a lot of energy to produce. Fortunately 95 - 98% of all aluminium can be recycled, andrecovered aluminium requires only about 5% of the energy compared to new extraction.
BRASS
Brass is an alloy of copper and zinc. We use brass as it is easy to mould, does not rust and conducts heat well. Since it contains copper, it should not be used in contact with food. We use brass for different design details in our products.
RECYCLING OF MATERIALS
For most metals, the cost and energy consumption are much less for recycling than for new extraction. Generally, there is no quality loss in recycling, and there is no limit to how many times a material can be recycled. Today, therefore, all easily accessible scrap metal is recycled. New production of metal is due to an increased market need. Therefore, there is currently no environmental advantage in trying to increase the proportion of recycled material in an individual product to make it “greener”, since it would only mean that another product will have a lower proportion of recycled material and also lead to increased transport.
What is important to bear in mind, however, is that the materials in a product can easily be separated so that the various metals can be recycled.
PLASTICS
Plastics, or polymers, are long molecules of (usually) hydrocarbons. They have very different properties depending on the type of plastic. We use plastics where we want light weight, since the plastics have high strength in relation to their weight. Plastics conduct heat poorly, which is good in contexts where you do not want things to burn, such as handles and saucepan lids.
Traditionally, plastics are made from petroleum oil, but more and more plastics are based on renewable raw materials, especially polyethylene and polyamides. Materials such as starch, cellulose, wood, sugar and biomass are also used as substitutes for fossil fuel in the production of bioplastics. This makes bioplastics production more sustainable compared to conventional plastic production. At Primus, we want to make products that both last a long time and are part of a circular cycle, so we try to use recyclable plastics, even when it comes to bio-based plastics. At present, we avoid plastics that are biodegradable, partly because their cycles are still unclear and partly because they can only be broken down in industrial composting, not in nature.
We are working to phase out all PFC and fossil-based plastics in the near future. We have also chosen to phase out PTFE in our products as we order new ones. It will take a little while before this reaches all the shops. If you own a product with PTFE today, there is no reason to stop using it as the plastic in the product is not associated with any risks.
CORK
Cork production is considered sustainable as the cork tree is not cut down to extract the material, it is only the bark that is torn off in a way that the tree continues to live and grow. Cork as a material has excellent insulating properties, does not conduct heat very well and is moisture resistant, which makes it a very useful material.
CARDBOARD
About half of our packaging is FSC certified. This means that the entire manufacturing process and the material are completely traceable. The other half of the packaging is made from recycled paper.
We are constantly working to minimise the amount of packaging material we use for our products. It’s a balancing act with the packaging used to protect the products during transport - too little protection or too poorly adapted packaging increases the risk of transport damage, which is a greater waste of resources.
GAS
The gas in our containers is a mixture of propane, butane and isobutane. They are gases produced from petroleum and are produced by our supplier in South Korea.
For a number of years, we have chosen to offset all the gas we produce through various projects. We offset for the emissions that occur during production, shipping and when using both gas and containers. Read more about this year's project here.
Our goal is to be able to offer and replace all the gas we sell with gas from renewable resources. We are constantly looking for partners and suppliers who can help us with this.
